Mohinga

Method

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1. Put the water, fish, bruised lemongrass and turmeric in a large pot. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked. Lift the fish out, flake it into large pieces and set it aside. Keep the cooking liquid.

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2. Blend the onions, garlic, ginger and sliced lemongrass to a paste with 4 tablespoons of water.

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3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and fry the paste for 10 minutes, stirring, until golden and fragrant. Stir in the paprika for 30 seconds.

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4. Toast the chickpea flour and rice together in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring, until nutty and pale golden. Grind the rice to a powder, then whisk everything into 250 ml of cold water until smooth.

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5. Strain the fish cooking liquid into the pot with the fried paste. Stir in the flour mixture, fish sauce and salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often, until the broth is the thickness of thin cream.

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6. Return the fish to the pot and simmer for 3 minutes.

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7. Cook the noodles as the packet says and drain. Divide among six bowls and ladle over the hot broth. Top with the egg, fried onions, coriander and spring onions, and serve with lime, chilli flakes and fish sauce.

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Chef’s Tips

• Whisk the toasted flour into cold water before it goes into the pot. Added dry it forms lumps.
• Stir the broth often as it thickens. The flour settles and can catch on the bottom.
• Fry the paste until it is properly golden. Pale paste leaves the soup tasting raw.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.

Pairing Suggestions

• Lime wedges
• Fried onions
• Extra chilli flakes

Storage & Reheating

Keep the broth in the fridge up to 3 days, thinning it with water as it thickens. Freeze the broth for 2 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.